A very well dressed man stepped in front of us while we were walking to the subway last night. He wore a fitted suit, cropped and cuffed trousers and black loafers with grey socks.
Then we noticed he'd folded his scarf to display a huge "THOM BROWNE" label across his back.
We were surprised that someone dressed so elegantly would feel compelled to advertise. In-your-face branding comes off as so awkward, especially juxtaposed with such a classic outfit.
Most people won't wear a t-shirt scrawled with a brand name, yet don't hesitate to carry the most popular (read: recognizable) YSL bag or Marc by Marc accessories weighed down by the designer's nameplate, which is essentially the same thing. It makes us uncomfortable when people ask us where we bought our dress, or our shoes, or our bag - we can't imagine wanting to scream the answer down the street, let alone walk around with a stylized version of the brand tag on the outside of whatever we're wearing.
Do you feel comfortable functioning as a walking advertisement for a brand? What about if it's your favorite one?
PS. The dapper man turned out to be Thom Browne himself. And, well, if we had our own brand we'd probably be OK advertising that.
posted by guest
Feb 14, 2008 1:58PM
i am more than happy to answer they "what are you wearing" question if my response is one of the following:
1. I bought it at a garage sale.
2. I scored it at (insert thrift store name here).
3. My friend (insert name here) made it for me. They have a store at (insert location).